A warning that your account will be closed if you don’t respond immediately is a very common sign of a scam. Scammers are attempting to scare you into taking action before thinking it through. Your bank will NEVER threaten you with immediate account closure or lock you out if you don’t act fast. Check out our quiz on the social engineering tactics used by scammers to try to trick you: cba.ca/for-canadians/anti-scam-quizzes/quiz-2-social-engineering-a-peek-behind-the-curtain

These calls can sound very professional and the Caller ID might look correct, but if someone asks for your PIN or password, it’s a scam. Remember, your bank will NEVER call you out of the blue to ask for personal or sensitive information like your PIN or passwords. Plus scammers use Caller ID spoofing to manipulate displayed phone numbers making fraudulent calls appear as if they’re from trusted sources, like your bank. If your bank needs to reach you, they will always understand if you hang up and call back using the number on the back of your bank card, your statement, or the official banking app to verify the call.

Your bank will NEVER ask you to assist them with an undercover investigation. Banks will never ask you to withdraw money from your account or hand over your card and PIN to assist in an investigation.

Your bank will NEVER ask for remote access to your computer or phone, or ask you to install software to "fix" an issue. This is a common scam involving fraudsters posing as technical support representatives who try to trick you into paying for unnecessary services or providing access to your computer and personal information.